An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader defence environment highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of government activities, including transport use to communication habits.
